


The Spirit of the Pumpkin Patch

by sevtacular



Category: Holby City
Genre: F/F, Fairy Tale Elements, Folklore, Legends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:34:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27300529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sevtacular/pseuds/sevtacular
Summary: A tale of the Serena Campbell's legendary garden displays and the spirit which haunted her pumpkin patch one Halloween. The spirit which haunted it to help her see that sometimes there are greater forces at play. Forces which are as old as time itself.
Relationships: Serena Campbell/Bernie Wolfe
Comments: 28
Kudos: 46
Collections: Holby Halloween Monster Mash 2020





	The Spirit of the Pumpkin Patch

**Author's Note:**

> This Halloween fic was inspired by the prompt "We are neighbors and we compete in decorating our houses and yards for Halloween every year, now this year is my year, I’m going big, you’ll see."

Serena Campbell is known amongst the Wyvern-upon-Avon village community for going the extra mile when it comes to holidays and celebrations. In fact, as friendly village shopkeeper Sacha Levy once said to a new face in the village, “Serena Campbell doesn’t just go the extra mile, she goes the full length of the Avon.” And, since the River Avon is thirty-three and a half miles long, that’s a lot of extra miles.

Serena Campbell lives in a leafy detached near the centre of the village. It’s the house where her daughter, Elinor, grew up and it’s the house where Serena cared for her ailing mother. A family home for all generations. For many years, the house had been occupied by just Serena. And that was fine. She left early in the morning to drive to the hospital in the centre of Holby City and arrived back late in the evening. On her weekends off she could be seen tending to her expansive gardens. Village life ticked on. Then, Jason arrived. Now the leafy detached has two occupants. One auntie. One nephew. And village life changed.

Jason had previously lived in a crowded inner-city block of flats with his mother, who worked at Holby City airport on the news kiosk. Jason helped her sometimes. Jason was used to getting buses and the air being thick with the smoke which comes from city living. The hustle and bustle of Holby City was a whole world away from sleepy Wyvern-upon-Avon, where the air was only thick with the scent of roses blooming in the gardens of nearly every resident.

Upon his arrival to the village, Jason introduced himself to every single person. They all knew his aunt (she does have a legendary reputation, after all) and welcomed him into their community. The bright and inquisitive young mind soon found himself on the bowls team and the summer fête committee. Jason’s young enthusiasm and zest for country living soon gave Wyvern-upon-Avon the jostle it needed to wake up and embrace village life even further. A marrow growing contest was introduced to the village fête and afternoon teas were served from the village hall every third Sunday afternoon. Jason even helped Farmer Fletch to set up his own home-brew cider business. Jason proved to be an effective business associate and soon the drink became the most popular item in the village shop. The conscientious young man even put into place a bottle recycling scheme where Mr Levy in the village shop would give shoppers ten pence for the return of the empty cider bottles for Farmer Fletch to reuse again. It was a most effective scheme indeed.

Jason Haynes was not just an ordinary villager. He was possibly the friendliest, most active villager Wyvern-upon-Avon had ever seen! Many even hailed him a hero after he rallied the local neighbourhood watch to correctly identify the tourist who had left litter in the village pond, nearly fatally injuring nesting mother swan Greta. But that’s another tale. This story is about Serena Campbell and the unknown spirit who haunted her pumpkin patch one remarkable Halloween.

~ ~ ~

Serena Campbell’s garden displays are the stuff of legend in Wyvern-upon-Avon. Everybody in the village has a favourite.

Sacha Levy (the village shopkeeper) says is favourite is the Easter display Serena once did, where her whole front garden was turned into Easter Bunny HQ, with sparkling eggs and fairy lights abound and a large model of the Easter bunny central to it all, looking out over anybody who passed the house.

Ms Naylor, the headmistress of the village school, also has a favourite. Her favourite is the time when, for St George’s Day, Serena’s garden was filled with a ginormous roaring dragon whose nostrils smoked whenever Serena was home.

Reverend Hanssen from the church’s favourite is, of course, the time Serena turned her garden into a life-size nativity scene with a beautiful crib containing a small doll in the centre of her lawn, fairy lights wrapped around it to make the holy child glow brightly.

Serena’s decorations are as much of a treat as the event itself.

~ ~ ~

Jason arrives home one sunny afternoon to see his Auntie Serena sketching at the kitchen table. He places the jar of jam he’s just bought (‘Berry Nice’ – it’s a new, locally produced brand which the village shop has just started to stock) on the table.

“What are you doing, Auntie Serena?” He asks.

“Plotting.” His aunt responds, a note of steely determination in her voice.

“Plotting? Whatever for?”

“Did you see what happened last week?”

Jason chooses not to say anything. He’s well aware what happened last week. Everyone in the village is well aware what happened last week.

Last week, a challenger arose. The cottage next door, which has laid empty and forgotten since the old military man who had called it home had moved on to the next realm, had been decorated. For Midsummer. And Serena had not done a display for Midsummer.

It was no secret that the house had become occupied again. Everyone had seen the smoke wisping its way out of the chimney like a friendly spirit back to join in with village life. Everyone had seen the slow transformation of the overgrown garden into a beautiful landscaped masterpiece. But nobody had ever seen an occupant. The village children had taken to whispering that the ghost of the old military captain had returned to haunt the dwelling. Serena was beginning to wonder if they were right.

Then Midsummer happened.

Overnight, almost as if by magic, the cottage became a floral masterpiece. Garlands hung from the front of the dwelling and the garden had become home to a Swedish-style maypole, a whole host of wicker animals dancing around it. It had looked breath-taking. And it disappeared as mysteriously as it came, vanishing into the night like a ghostly highwayman.

To say Serena had been unimpressed had been an understatement.

So now, here she is, sat at her kitchen table and plotting how she can decorate her house for Halloween in such a way that it will triumph over whatever the spectre next door produces.

~ ~ ~

Three days before Halloween and Serena begins to set up her display. She’s booked the time off work and she’s going bigger than ever. Jason helps her to place the many, many pumpkins she has bought from Farmer Fletch around the front lawn. Then, they hang bunting decorated in ghosts and bats and other things which go bump in the night. The bunting is charming and locally made (by the village WI, who were more than happy to help Serena with one of her famous displays). When it is artfully draped from tree to rose bush to hanging basket it looks supreme. Serena surveys their work happily. Just the final, finishing touches to go.

~ ~ ~

Serena wakes up the next morning to a shock. The cottage next door still lies bare, no sign yet of any form of decoration. But her own pumpkin patch has been invaded!

Serena knows what she and Jason did last night. She has been meticulously planning it for months. Yet now there are additions to her patch. Eco-confetti made from dried leaves and pressed flowers has been sprinkled around the pumpkins she and Jason placed and, beyond that, she now has several new plants in decorated pots in her garden. Upon closer inspection, Serena identifies them as evening primrose and blood lily. They’re perfect and fit her scheme perfectly. Whoever has done this must be both a keen gardener and someone with an eye for detail. Serena smiles. Whoever it is must really want her to beat whatever display the cottage next door does.

Serena chooses to incorporate her kind donations into her scheme. If Jason notices the changes, he chooses not to comment. Instead he kindly helps her to work some more on the display: today, they’re adding solar powered lanterns and lights. The lanterns flank the path to the front door and stand amongst the pumpkins on the lawn. Strings of little bulbs in the shape of pumpkins and ghosts are hung underneath the windows. As dusk falls, Serena surveys her work proudly. Just the final part to go.

~ ~ ~

Serena wakes up the next day to find once again that her pumpkin patch has been invaded. The tree at the bottom of her garden is now draped in spider web which, upon closer inspection, turns out to be fine threads of what looks like cheesecloth. It’s clearly been teased apart to give the fine threads without buying the wasteful plastic version from the shops. Also hanging from the branches are natural, homemade bird feeders which have been crafted into the shape of pumpkins and bats and ghosts. Somebody has clearly spent a considerable amount of time on these. Serena only attempted to make her own bird cake once before and it was a disaster. This is somebody who has time on their hands and a lot of patience. She’s desperate to know who her friendly night time visitor is.

Later that evening, as dusk falls, Jason and Serena complete their Halloween display.

The lanterns and lights and pumpkins are scattered across the garden, the bunting and lights framing the scene. The natural confetti, flowers, cheesecloth spider web and bird feeders only add to the whole haunted effect. But central to it all is the ginormous pumpkin lantern which Serena has put together. Really, it’s an artfully decorated pergola. Serena had sourced a round one and she and Jason have draped orange material around it, decorated to look like a carved pumpkin face. Inside the pergola, a bright lantern flickers on and off to give the illusion of candles. It’s not the roundest of pumpkins but the effect is still there. She’s incredibly pleased.

Jason heads upstairs to bed and Serena does too. But, when in her bedroom at the front of the house, Serena does not sleep. She sits by the window and waits. She feels sure her mystery visitor is going to appear tonight and she wants to know exactly who it is.

~ ~ ~

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

The clock creeps onwards and there’s still no sign of anybody. Serena has almost given up hope when, as the church clock strikes midnight, a figure appears. Dressed in dark clothes, the figure assesses the scene before them before disappearing back into the night. Serena waits unseen upstairs, desperate for her mysterious stranger to return. Eventually, the lithe figure returns pushing a wheelbarrow filled with all kinds of things. Serena backs away from the curtains and makes her way downstairs. It’s time to unmask the spirit in her pumpkin patch.

~ ~ ~

Serena opens her front door quietly and creeps down her path. The figure is hard at work on the pergola. Serena has no idea what they’re doing but she’s intrigued. Unable to help herself, she glances at the cottage next door and makes a little hiss of delight that her neighbour does not appear to have made a display. She’s won.

The hiss, quiet as it was, breaks through the still autumn night like the howl of a werewolf. The night time visitor freezes and looks at her. In the same moment, the moon breaks free of the clouds that had been covering it and silvery light shines across the garden.

Serena sees a slim woman, her eyes wide in shock. Blonde curls tumble out from a beanie hat pulled on her head. There’s a knitted scarf tucked into her gilet and sturdy boots on her feet. And she seems frozen to the spot, looking at Serena.

“Hi,” she breathes. Her voice is soft and curls through the air like the charm of a sorceress.

“Hi,” Serena smiles back. “Would you like a cup of tea?”

The woman breathes out, clearly relieved at not being reprimanded for being on somebody else’s property. She nods.

“That would be nice. But help me finish your pumpkin first?”

Serena picks her way across the grass to where the woman is. It’s then that she notices what she’s doing. She’s got a wheelbarrow full of chicken wire and is shaping it into curves so that the material hangs over something with more structure. The pumpkin will indeed be round for Halloween. Serena smiles and picks up some chicken wire.

“Let’s do this.”

~ ~ ~

“Go on then, reveal yourself. Who are you?” Serena sits in her kitchen and smiles at her new companion through the steam rising off her mug of tea like mist on a dark lake. The woman smiles and ducks her head so she’s looking at Serena through a messy fringe.

“Bernie Wolfe, pleasure to meet you.”

Serena’s brow furrows.

“Bernie Wolfe? That’s not a name I recognise. You can’t be local then; everyone knows everyone around here.”

“I’m very local, actually. I live in the cottage next door.”

Serena’s gasp is a gust of wind through an abandoned house.

“ _You’re_ the one who moved in? And did that Midsummer display?”

Bernie nods sheepishly.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to tread on your toes. When I first came to the area Sacha in the shop told me all about your displays and I thought it sounded like a really good idea. A project to… Take my mind off other things.” Bernie’s choosing her words carefully, there’s a story there to be teased out just as a demon might be gently exorcised from a haunted house. Bernie sips her tea before continuing.

“When Jason told me how upset you was about it, I wanted to say sorry. But he told me you’d probably shout and I trust his judgement. So I thought I’d offer my repentance through assisting with your display secretly. Or not so secretly, now.”

Serena gapes.

“You know Jason?”

“Of course I do, he came around after Midsummer and introduced himself, told me all about the village and how else I could get involved. I think he was trying to subtly tell me not to do any more elaborate garden decorations.” She smiles a small but fond smile. Serena shakes her head in disbelief.

“In that case, Bernie Wolfe, tell me all about yourself.”

Bernie tells a broken story of how she’d been an active soldier, medically retired after being caught up in a blast in Afghanistan. With nowhere else to go, she decided her father’s cottage would be her new home where she’d slowly learn to be a civilian again. She shrugs as she finishes her tale.

“I didn’t realise that I’d retire from one war only to get immediately caught up in another.”

“Sorry you had such a bad impression of me.”

Serena holds out her hand and says what she knows she must to put things right between them.

“Truce?”

Bernie takes it.

“Truce.”

~ ~ ~

A little later, when their tea is finished and, after learning all about Bernie, she’s told her new friend about herself, Serena realises something.

“So, Bernie Wolfe, what is it you spend your time doing? I’ve never seen you around the village.”

Bernie shrugs.

“Crafts, mostly. When I first moved in, well, I wasn’t in a fit state to be going out and about. Recovery from major surgery is a slow process, as I’m sure you’re well aware of, Dr Campbell.” She flashes a brief smile at Serena before continuing. “I decided to try my hand at crafts and other things I’d never really had time for in the army. Things that require patience. Flower pressing. Gardening. Wickerwork. I take it you remember my Midsummer display? That was months of recovery in the making.”

Serena reaches out and pats Bernie’s hand, feeling guilty that she was ever so mean about the display. Bernie continues.

“Then, when I was more mobile, I took to doing the house repairs. By that point I knew I’d become something of a village recluse and it felt daunting to step outside. So I hid inside. Took up cookery, too. The little bird feeders, baking bread, even had an attempt at homebrew wine. It was quite by accident that I ended up selling jam to supplement my army pension.”

“You make jam?” Serena gasps. She’s always found jam to be tricky and time-consuming. “You must let me buy some!”

“You already do, by the look of things.” Bernie tilts her head to where the jam pot sits on the table, its simple handwritten label proclaiming that it’s locally produced. Serena remembers Jason talking about the new local jam stocked in the village shop. It’s the best she’s ever tasted. She looks at Bernie, pleasant surprise written across her face.

“You’re Berry Nice?”

“Berry Nice Griselda Wolfe, actually,” Bernie winks. “I’m flattered you like my jam.”

“I more than like it,” Serena smiles gently. Outside, the sun begins to rise, casting the room in a warm glow. “I know we’ve only just met but I more than like you, actually.”

As the sun rises, chasing away the demons of the dark, two souls meet in a kiss more powerful than the potions of any witch. It’s spellbinding, it transcends the plain of mortality, it seals them for eternity.

~~~

And that is why, if you should ever happen to pass through Wyvern-upon-Avon on All Hallows’ Eve, you may just feel the crackle of magic in the air. And maybe, just maybe, you’ll see the glow of the pumpkin display which has long since gone. For when love wins out over malice, the good from such a feat is preserved. And, as they say, Serena Campbell’s garden displays have always been the stuff of legend.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading everyone, and thanks to Redvines for organising this event!


End file.
